Out and About

Patricia Speaks

As a child, Patricia Polacco used to take peanut butter and crackers, a flashlight, and books into a tent made of blankets and sheets and get lost in a world beyond imagination. Now she tells school children to do the same. And even better, she single-handedly provides an abundance of books for children to take […]

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Telling the Truth

Perhaps one of the most important speeches of the Mazza Fall Weekend, Eugene Yelchin shared a childhood that no American child could possibly understand if not for his willingness and ability to share it in words and pictures.  Eugene Yelchin’s Breaking Stalin’s Nose won a Newbery Honor in 2012. The book’s emotional ties to Eugene’s Russian […]

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In an auditorium in Findlay…

John Bemelmans Marciano never met his famous grandfather, but thanks to a treasure trove of family memorabilia, he knows a great deal about the man who gave the world Madeline. With no visual aids, John captivated his Mazza audience with stories for 45 minutes, proving that he is not only an incredibly talented illustrator, but […]

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Rocco’s Mazza Debut

With a background in shellfishing (yes, that would be commercial clam digging) and as a Disney art dircector, John Rocco followed his passion for children’s literature to a successful career as an author and illustrator. John studied art at the Rhode Island School of Design and School of Visual Arts in New York City. He found […]

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